Colton Swartz off to good start in follow-up to successful college season

Fleming Island graduate won twice, finished among the top 10 four times at Florida Southern

• Colton Swartz made his first albatross during the first round of the 108th Florida Amateur.
• Jonah Nacional won his first Florida Junior Tour victory at the Delray Downs Golf and Country Club.
• A tournament honoring Peter Kuchar, father of Matt Kuchar, will be held in October.

Colton Swartz was hoping for a strong summer of tournament play to reinforce what he’s been working on during his sophomore season at Florida Southern. 

Making his first Albatross — a 2 on a par-5 hole — went a long way. Especially since it happened in the first round of the 108th Florida Amateur on June 5. 

Swartz, a Fleming Island High graduate, used a Callaway Paradigm 3-wood from 235 yards out at the par-5 ninth hole of the BallenIsles Country Club South Course to hole his second shot. He went on to post a 69 and was three shots off the lead shared by Santiago Navarro of Winter Garden, Derek Busby of Palm Beach Gardens and William Block of Plantation. 

Swartz was tied for fifth with another First Coast resident, Luke Balaskiewicz of Jacksonville. 

Swartz is seeking some solid performances this summer to follow up on a successful sophomore season in which he won twice and had four top-10 finishes for the Moccasins, capped by a 10th in the Sunshine State Conference. 

“I proved a lot to myself,” said Swartz, who was on the Times-Union All-First Coast team in 2023. “I proved my best golf can compete with the big boys and I earned the respect of my teammates.” 

That said, Swartz began the summer with a short list of ways to get better, such as being more reliable on the greens. 

“I’ve always been a good ball-striker and I give myself a lot of chances,” he said. “I need to take advantage of those chances.” 

Or, he could keep hitting the ball in the hole from the fairway, as he did at BallenIsles. 

Swartz carved his 3-wood from left to right, trying to avoid water on the short right. The Titleist Pro-V1 No. 2 ball bounced on the green once and went into the hole. 

Swartz is seeking his second Florida State Golf Association Championship. He won the 16-18 Junior Boys in 2023. 

Jonah Nacional wins first FJT event 

Jonah Nacional of St. Augustine had to work hard for his first Florida Junior Tour victory. 

The rising Beachside High junior broke away from a four-way tie to start the final round, then birdied the 15th hole at the Delray Downs Golf and Country Club on May 30 to take the lead for good and win the FJT Golf Road Junior Major (13-18 years old). 

Nacional posted 72-71—143 to win by three shots over Daniel Mena of West Palm Beach. Nacional was one of four players who shot 72 in the first round and after beginning the final round with 12 pars in a row, finally broke clear of the pack with his late birdie. 

Grace Breffitt of Ponte Vedra Beach and Alexia Iordonov of St. Augustine (159) tied for third in the girls’ division, eight shots behind Valentina Marie Guertin of Boynton Beach. 

Tournament to honor Peter Kuchar 

Peter Kuchar, the father of 2012 Players champion Matt Kuchar who died in February, will be honored at a golf tournament supporting a cause that was dear to him. The Ronald McDonald Charity tournament on Oct. 6 at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Ocean Course will be played in memory of Kuchar, a long-time Ponte Vedra Beach resident. Kuchar was chairman of the Ronald McDonald House tournament for more than a decade. For information on entering, contact mweinstein@rmhcjax.org. … John Lobb and Mark Spencer of Jacksonville shot 6-under 138 to tie for fourth in the FSGA 40 and over Four-Ball North Championship at the Country Club of Ocala, five shots behind winners Steve Albright and Jimmy Letterly. Chuck Kirk of Middleburg and Scott Thomas of Orange Park (140) tied for ninth.